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5 Subscriptions + Memberships That Are Changing My Life

Subscription services and certain memberships can be expensive, and honestly I often have trouble justifying forking over my hard earned cash on many of them (Birchbox, for instance, is one I just can’t justify at the moment no matter how much I love it). But sometimes a service comes around that is so worth it and changes your life in a big way that you just suck it up. And also, sometimes they can actually save you money! So today I’m talking about the five subscriptions or memberships I have that are worth the monthly credit card bill.

The New York Times, $19.99 a month

I signed up shortly after the election because I decided it was, now more than ever, really important for me to understand current events. I get the Sunday delivery and online access to the paper daily. I’ve loved reading it on my computer or iPad, it’s completely changed my lunch breaks during the week (read: no more mindlessly scrolling Instagram). The interactive features, videos, and ability to “save articles till later” makes it engaging and keeps my attention. I make a point to read 5 articles a day and I’ve felt comforted knowing my awareness is increasing (albeit less comforted by the disturbing reality of the world today).

Spotify.com, $9.99 per month

I made Mark sign up for this since I’m the one footing the bill for Netflix every month (Thank you, boyfriend!). I never understood how to bootleg music and always relied on iTunes to purchase my favorite jams for up-to-date playlists. Of course this got expensive and since I’m also the type of gal who replays songs over and over again until they nauseate me, it was sort of a lose-lose situation. I needed a change. With Spotify I can “download” music to play even when cellular is down, hundreds of perfect playlists are already established, I can make my own playlists, exploring new tunes and revisiting old favorites have never been easier, and there are no ads. I’ve essentially stopped using iTunes and don’t plan on going back. I also recently found out that if you play one of Spotify’s running playlists while you run, it will figure out what bpm matches your pace and will curate a playlist just for you. Game changer.

Fabletics, $0-50 a month

image via Fabletics.com

Athleisure is liiiife. If I’m not in scrubs I practically live in sports bras and leggings. But I don’t make enough to buy all things Lululemon, all the time. Fabletics offers really cute, really comfortable options at super affordable rates. As a VIP member I get discounts on outfits picked for my style and activity preferences each month, and if there’s nothing that floats my boat, I can just skip the month no problem!

Pure Barre, $180 a month

More of a membership than a subscription, but it truly deserves to be on this list. I love Pure Barre and have since my first class. The workout is challenging (I’ll be sore everywhere for days afterwards) and still really fun. I feel so strong after finishing a class and the endorphin high is so real. Also, it’s a great way to meet new gal pals in your area because there’s already an established mutual interest!

West Hollywood Library Card, FREE!

It is embarrassing that I didn’t think to sign up for one of these sooner. I spend so much money on books that I read once, love, but then put on a shelf to take up space and collect dust. When I could be renting the same books for free so they don’t cost me anything to read & don’t take up my space when I’m done! Smacked myself hard for not figuring this one out until now. But I now have a card and it rocks. I can read books, magazines, and rent movies with my card. And now Barnes and Noble gift cards can be spent on real indulgences like cook books. Plus, this particular library is beautiful.

That’s it! As always I’m open to suggestions if anyone has other subscriptions they absolutely can’t live without. Have a great weekend friends!